University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
8-8,2-3MVC
UIC
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UNI men’s hoops edges UIC in eight-point home victory
1/10/2024 9:59:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Panthers pick up 700th win as a Division I program in win over Flames. UNI visits Murray State on Sunday afternoon.
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- Nineteen points off of 18 opposing turnovers and a season-high 12 steals helped propel UNI men's basketball to victory on Wednesday night, a 67-59 home win over the UIC Flames at the McLeod Center.
Northern Iowa's ability to slow down one of the Missouri Valley Conference's (MVC) top defense and pressure offensively in the paint proved to be a key factor in the victory. The win was also a milestone victory for the program as UNI recorded its 700th win since becoming a Division I program in 1980.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Panthers knocked down 51.9% of their first half shot attempts and capitalized off ten UIC turnovers in the first 20 minutes of play, outscoring the Flames 17-8 off takeaways. Bowen Born and Nate Heise scored UNI's first ten points of the game, while Michael Duax soon found a groove offensively with eight first half points alongside Tytan Anderson in the paint. The Flames would control the rebounding battle with an 18-11 margin, but Northern Iowa's defense efforts would turn the tides of the opening stanza in its favor, allowing the Panthers to overcome a small Flames lead to take a 35-32 advantage into halftime.
The Panthers continued to attack the paint early into the second half, while also slowing down UIC's three-point shooting after giving up six three-point field goals in the opening period. UNI would reclaim the lead for good using a 7-0 run after trailing 43-42, with Kyle Pock finding his rhythm down the stretch. Continuing to force turnovers and draw contact to earn trips to the free throw line, the Panthers shot 45.5% from the field and narrowly outrebounded the Flames in the final stanza to close out the night and secure the eight-point victory.
Pock finished the night with a game-high 13 points with a career-high 24 minutes played, knocking down three baskets from beyond the arc. Born, Anderson and Duax all notched 12 points each in the Panther win, while Duax also set a new season-best with three steals. Trey Campbell also recorded a season-high three takeaways, while also scoring six points with a team-high six rebounds. Heise tallied nine points.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- UNI improves to 13-11 all-time against the Flames with Wednesday's win, including 10-2 at home against UIC
- In addition to securing the program's 700th win as a Division I program, the Panthers inched closer to their 1,400th all-time victory, winning their 1,394th win in school history.
- Head coach Ben Jacobson recorded his 185th win in MVC play on Wednesday, pulling within three wins of breaking Henry P. Iba's league record of 187 conference only victories.
- Tytan Anderson has scored at least one point in 48 consecutive games, extending his team-leading streak among active Panthers.
- Bowen Born moved up to 13th on UNI's all-time scoring list after his 12-point performance on Wednesday, passing Cam Johnson (1989-94). Born can reach the 1,300 career point mark with his next three points and pass Anthony James (2008-13) for 12th on the list with his next nine points.
- Born's four three-point shot attempts against the Flames broke a tie with Ben Jacobson (2002-06) fifth-most three-point shot attempts in UNI history with 523.
- Nate Heise's nine-point game on Wednesday moved him past 700 career points, becoming the 85th player in program history to do so.
UP NEXT
The Panthers travel to Murray, Kentucky to begin a two-game road trip on Sunday, January 14 against the Murray State Racers. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. CT with live coverage available on ESPN+ and the Panther Sports Radio Network.
